…Explores coconut for alternative power
Determined to get Nigeria out of the problems of incessant national grid collapse and epileptic power supply , the Senate through its Committee on Power, on Monday, brainstormed with a South Korean energy firm for lasting solutions.
The Committee led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA Abia South) , told the BK Energy firm from South Korean , that what Nigeria and Nigerians want , is to get rid of the incessant grid collapse and epileptic power supply that had bedevilled the Nation over the years due to moribund infrastructure .
Senator Abaribe pointedly told the energy investor that basic infrastructure of Power is what the country needs , having over the years been stuck with 4, 000megawatts of electricity generation due to lack of transmission infrastructure to wheel any generation above that , to the distribution channels .
“Our major concern as a committee and by extension as a people , is how to break the bond and bridge the yawning gap of insufficient power generation in the country .
“We want you to be very practical in your submission for us to buy into whatever new technology or idea you have brought, which should serve as expected solutions for us.
In their response , the South Korean based BK Energy represented by Mr Haeagwoo Lee and Sangwoo Park , said mini – grid approach should be adopted by the Nigerian government to solve the incessant problem of National Grid collapse.
According to Mr Lee, South Korean which has population of about 50million people has 130, 000megawatts of electricity geberation that are not loaded on a single or national grid alone .
“There is need for decentralization when it comes to wheeling or transmission of power generation to avoid waste or incessant collapse .
“Nigeria is even a very lucky country where coconut is largely produced agriculturally which can be converted to graphene for power generation as done in South Korea . Coconut trees can also be used to build a generating plant in any neighborhood,” he said .
Earlier , the Chairman and Chief Executive officer of TUG Energy, Mr Uzo Udemba who led the South Korean investors to the National Assembly , explained to the committee that the new paradigm shift in the energy sector is Green Hydrogen which Nigeria should position itself as the hub .
He also added that many countries of the world are moving away from the National Grid model of power storage and distribution, to avoid disappointment of grid collapse as often the case in Nigeria .
“The BK Energy from South Korea is here to practically share with Nigeria and Nigerians , new technology of power generation , transmission and distribution by setting up factories here to train Nigerians across the three components,” he stressed .
